A Blossoming White Rose
---- She stared at the corpses forlornly as tears fell silently. Once again she had lost control and once again they lie fallow. "Why me....why couldn't you just stay away?!!" the young woman yelled at the dead bodies. Blood dripped from her mouth, forcing herself to stop with what little willpower she had left. Not that it accounted for much. Looking down, Chigetsu realized just how thin she was. How sickly and pale. Another sob wrenched itself from her throat as she realized her failings once more. "You took what you needed just enough to survive. What are the reasons for your tears?" a voice asked from nearby. She turned sharply. "Stay away...please...you call this enough to survive?? Use your eyes, THEY'RE DEAD. I killed them...it's pointless. Just go away..." "I have quite the sharp eyes, thank you." He remarks, and continues, quite coldly. "All I see is a sickly lady fighting for her survival. Left alone, she will perish from this Earth too soon." "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I want to perish? I'm not doing anyone any favors by existing...no one likes me anyway," she retorted, tears dripping slowly now. "No, it did not." He emerged from the shadows, his presence remaining too faint to be noticeable. "You would be a great loss to this miserable world. At least, that is what my master believes." The teen walked around the female, kneeling in front of her to face the woman directly. "The world is cruel and beautiful. Humans are odd beings, who often fail to see the value in the rarest beings." Chigetsu flinches. "Why are you trying to flatter me? I'm not some spectacular being. I'm a monster pure and simple. You're better off not wasting your time on something despicable like me." "Flattery? I don't flatter, I speak my mind and see no difference between you or any human I've met. All I see, as I've said before, is a woman that requires proper treatment or else she will die," came the sharp, blunt response. He sighs. "My mentor has send me here for one purpose. To bring you back to our HQ. The reason being? She seeks people that she believes could help her create a better world... and then she learned about you. Look, I don't care what you do after you meet my master, nor will she force you to join her, but you need to get back on your feet properly at least." She sighed as well, hope squashed by disappointment. Her only reliable companion in all of these years. "Look. I'm telling you to take your sights elsewhere. Where am I suppose to go? I'm hated, conspicious, and an eyesore," Chigetsu laughs bitterly, "get back on my feet? As if that will do me any favors." The lack of sympathy was disorientating, instead, he laughs bitterly. "You think the world is after you? Did anyone ever attempt to kill you, by people you loved and trusted?" He reaches out his hand in order to firmly take her chin between his fingers, forcing her to look at him. His eyes weren’t the ocean vivid colour anymore, but replaced with an unique, slightly shimmering blank red. Unlike before, there was a tinge of readable annoyance in them: "Pathetic." "If you truly believe you should die, because of opinions of others, you are weak." His voice felt cold, colder than before. "I guess my mentor misinterpreted her expectations for you. Oh, right, I forgot to tell you the name of my mentor… Kochi Uzumaki. If it was to me, I would let you have your desire to die, but Kochi-san wants to meet you." Finally, he releases his grip on her and moves slightly back as he stands up. His eyes narrowly casted down at her, back to their colourful blue as he reaches out his hand for her to take. "Meet my mentor… she will understand you better. And, after that, you can decide whatever you want." "Pathetic? Maybe I am." She couldn't argue that point; her sorry state said otherwise. Suddenly, she was grabbed by the chin. Chi tried to dredge up shock, surprise, or something, but she felt nothing but sadness. He would see a deadness in her rose colored eyes, born from so many days of broken trust, being kicked down the road like a can until she snapped. "One doesn't have to die physically to be extinguished," Chigetsu commented. Upon being released, she collapsed to her knees. "Fine....It's not I have anything left to live for anyway." One could wonder: would their meeting had been different, had the woman met the boy a long time ago? The time when the young boy was full of life and his passionate spirit about the well-being of others. But, that would never happen… he was heartless. If it had been to him, the woman would not have a chance to redeem herself, because he sees a weakness in a world, soon, where only the strong will survive. Perhaps his partner had rubbed off on him a little, or it was purely his mindset. But, his mentor wanted this woman, meaning she should have some sort of value behind that weak demeanor of hers. And he respected Kochi enough to obey her orders. It had been silent for a while, even after Chigetsu finally agreed to his demand. He exerts his hand, eventually, for her to take again. "Take my hand and I will bring you to my mentor." Chigetsu stared at his open palm. It didn't take a genius to realize if this enigma named Kochi hadn't intervened Chi would be no more. Everything from his words to his body language made that abundantly clear. Why would this Kochi person want her anyway? Sickly, weak, pathetic as this male was so fond of pointing out. She could barely pull back in the midst of feeding, taking the bare bones necessary for survival. Not that it made any difference; a dead body was still a dead body. One she had hastened towards its expiration. Chigetsu took his hand, standing in wobbly fashion. Her stomach roared at her, not satisfied with the meager offering it had received when there was so much around them. "I...." The young woman's hands dropped loosely to her sides as Chi struggled to the stem the tide that was rising: she was returning. "Not now not now, why does she have to return now??" Chi fretted as she began to shake. He releases a deep sigh as Chigetsu stumbled backwards and free her hand from his grip. It slightly annoyed him, since he was about to actuate his dōjutsu’s space-time technique, allowing them to instantaneously teleport to Kumoyami’s headquarters. Not to mention, he usually has those mysterious eyes active behind his magnificent illusional appearance, aside of that time he revealed his true eye colour to her. His eyes had narrowed at her movements, reading her body language and facial expression, something he was capable of understanding, despite unable to understand emotions and feelings in general. Eyes wandering from her visage to their surrounding and realising, with her poor and weak appearance, she had to feed. "I don’t care if you feed from these corpses. As I said before, you need it to survive.” The teen spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, especially in his last retort. "Despite, I rather not have to deal with a regurgitating human after transporting us to the headquarters." It was too late. Years of staving off the more extreme ends of her hunger took its toll and the cost reared its head now. Chigetsu as she was sunk into a slumber. Her form shifted, as her white locks extended beyond her waist. Red eyes blended into red sclera, with molten pupils the only change of color. Horns emerged from the top of her forehead as deathly sharp teeth arranged themselves in her mouth. Without a second thought to Yawako's presence, she sank her fangs into the nearest corpse, draining it like water in the desert heat. Then she would go onto the next, and the next, her feeding more meticulous as the woman's hunger calmed. For the first time Chigetsu felt something akin to satisfaction, ripping through flesh as her belly filled with blood and organs. The woman ran out of bodies. Licking her lips of the remaining blood, she smiled at Yawako as if just noticing his prescence. "Why hello there. Excuse the appearance, I wasn't expecting guests at this hour. A woman has to eat you know." Her tone was deeper, more sensual, a far cry from the Chigetsu earlier. The silence between the two strangers was one of the most terrifying ambience. Before the woman descended into her maddening hunger, she seemingly had been humiliated by the teen. After all, he was ruthless with his words and actions towards her, no thought given to her state of mind. Now, the results of his actions enlightened him about Chigetsu. There was a rare spark of interest in those cerulean orbs, assuring they would not miss a heartbeat of her onslaught on these corpses. Something he could be sharing later with his mentor; the leader she would be meeting soon. While his name was not shared with most, those amongst Kumoyami call him Yawako. Who was currently reassessing his earlier opinion about Chigetsu. There was a simple saying that Kochi had taught him early on: "Don't judge a book by its cover". Though to be fair, Yawako gathered his opinion about the woman through their previous interaction. She was weak… while the woman standing before him now had a complete different aura around her. Standing, Chigetsu put her hands on her hips, stretching as new energy flowed through her body. "She's so annoying, trying to be honorable by starving herself to death. Doesn't she realize no one in this land cares about her being kind or holding herself back? They scorned her, tried to kill her, ostracized her, the whole nine yards. She might as well as accept it," the woman complained, visibly irritated. Yawako merely continued his observation as Chigetsu talked about… Chigetsu. A moment of bemusement, perhaps. She didn't sound unstable; rather, she was no longer spineless to him. He thought about it, as she complained about the former her, what this could be again. When he remembered he chose to answer the woman, "I presume she wants to fall in line with the common people. To be cherished by people that fail to appreciate someone unique." "Hmph. They're pathetic and soooo easy to kill. She's stupid and foolish for loving trash like that," Chigetsu retorted, as her demonic features receded into her frame. Returning to her earlier, human appearance. However, even this was in stark contrast to its previously neglected form. All traces of sickliness were expunged as color returned to her cheeks and her emaciated frame filled out, flush with the blood of the fallen. She stretched again, yawning hugely. "I mean, I get why she's sad though. It's a terrible life when your own blood tries to turn you into a superweapon. Boy did that blow up in their faces though," Chi added, her tone both smug and nostalgic. "So teen enigma, tell me more about your fearless leader...actually, you were supposed to take me to her right? Well, get on with it. It's rude to keep an elder waiting." Her rose-colored eyes betrayed Chi's amusement. For Yawako it was quite spectacular witnessing the woman being fully recovered from her sickly state. Although, he wondered about her demonic appearance, yet, refrains from comparing Chigetsu to a specific yōkai. There was one that he recently learned about through one of his Honnari, who he met months ago in another dimension and they, for some reason, sworn their loyalty to him. Something he disregarded, of course. But, they still kept true to their word. In a similar way that Yawako ignored most of the blabbers of the woman speaking in front of him. He had no care for rubbish, disinteresting and, to him, senseless conversations. Perhaps that was his mistake in most of his decisions when it came to learning about someone, a human being and fail to comprehend them. Understanding emotions, reflecting on them and being able to be sympathetic towards others, it's rather complicated and an often underestimated accomplishment. Which could be the reason the enigma, as Chigetsu called, was neglecting on actually trying. Chigetsu watched him tune out mentally as she talked. "It's rude to ignore others you know. I would think your mom would have taught you manners...oh well. Hopefully this oh so great leader is worth my time," she commented before wincing for a second. Part of her continued to ponder the stupidity of her other self, always pinning the failings of others on her own inability to conform, to be normal. "Stupid. You're better than those dweebs. When will you realize that? Find someone that isn't a waste of time," the young woman thought, chastising her silent, innocent other half. As he moved forward, inching closer to the woman, he spoke with a dull, blank tone. "Indeed. There won't be a need to discuss about that matter, neither on how long it will take us to travel. It will be in an instant." Yawako firmly takes a grip on her arm, uncaring of the blood that could paint his pale skin or clothing. "If you struggle and lose my touch, you will be lost forever. I won't be wasting energy to seek for you in the void." Clarifying that they would be changing locations with breaking the laws of nature, through what is known as a . Of course, Yawako was capable of using his skills through a distance, but it was taxing to his chakra... something that was already hard to detect through the use of one's perception or . This method allowed him to use almost no chakra, since it was basically him expanding himself and delete oneself from this dimension and back to this world. "Yay void. Messing with the laws of nature and space-time, what a treat teenma," Chi said, combining her earlier descriptor for him into a single word. She glared at him as he gripped her arm, but didn't say anything further. She had a feeling that despite it's flippant delivery, his warning about being lost in the void should she slip was very much true. The woman had no intentions on being stuck in nothingness for all eternity, so she let his firm, if mildly irritating, grip go. "Well, let's get on with it. I'm growing older by the minute...just kidding." She gave a shark-like grin before tucking this last terrifying feature away. Behind these deceptive eyes with their alluring sapphire shade, the optic nerves became the focal point of raw chakra that was hardly sensible. After all, Yawako is, as Chigetsu nicknamed him earlier, an enigma who tinkers with the perspectives of one's reality and casts on himself with a mixture of shinobi art. About to tear through the realm, the young teen warningly looks at Chigetsu; his words were not to be taken lightly. She had no time to reply, as they then disappeared from the current world. It was a split-second momentum for them to remain in the void, only visible to Yawako through his visual prowess and time control. The place itself could be described as pitch-black, yet, neutral to those that had access to it. There was no shape, land or anything remotely to their homeland; it was a canvas of darkness, reflected from the caster. Instead, the woman would only realize the difference as she was greeted by a dark-lit room with hundreds of candles in an enormous spacious gathering room. And the bitter cold feeling as an after-effect from entering the void. She shivered slightly before recovering, the freshly consumed blood pinwheeling through her frame to warm it up once more. "Who knew space-time could be so frosty. You should invest in a heater at some point." The woman ignored the poking that occurred at the edge of her mind. The foolish girl needed to remain asleep; this was no place for her until Chi was certain that it fit the mold. Despite her tongue-lashing of the young woman, there were some stirrings of protectiveness, if only to prolong her existence on this plane. Despite her efforts to wall-off the other Chi's suffering, she could feel the sadness and hurt acutely. She returned her attention to Yawako. "So....where is she? All I see are some candles burning low as if setting the mood. Surely you're not that cheesy of a bunch." "Yawako is either more persuasive than I think him to be if he will convince a...pseudo-cannibal to join a group seeking to impose an ideal on reality or there is more to this recruitment than Kochi lets on." mused a man in a silver yukata. "Either way, it would be unwise to not question an order or would it? This could be a test and the recruit may already be...you're overthinking things." As if to prove his most recent thought accurate, he heard a sound familiar to his ears. As he moved towards the direction of the recent resonance a voice unknown to him materialized with each step he took and it all made sense; the reverberation has caused by Yawako's space-time technique and the voice was that of the recruit. Judging from Yawako's silence and her remarks, Kochi wasn't in the room at the moment and his presence would interrupt nothing. With the thought in mind, he opened the door and approached the newcomer. "Candles which have been lit for long periods of time don't burn very brightly, don't you agree?" he replied to her latest comment. She stared at the newest arrival, feeling own her own curiosity bolstered by the one who shared space inside of her. "Um......and you are?" Chigetsu groaned following his opening statement. "A philosopher..as if I or she needed one of those right about now...just give me a tonic or something." The woman was clearly unamused, the man's mask seemingly infuriating her. Once again she felt a poke at the back of her head. "Quit it, you aren't ready for this ruffian crowd." she snapped at no one in particular. At least from the outside anyway. She felt an apologetic wave tumble through her before receding. "Where's your leader? She's supposed to be here. I don't have all day." As the girl's patience wears thin, the air begins to grow even colder, despite the warm glow of the candles surrounding the room. A still silence permeates through the room, the air's deathly stillness giving way to slow, procedural updrafts that seem to pull towards the largest assortment of candles throughout the room. In an instance, the updrafts grow intense as a silhouette with what appears to be glowing blue eyes penetrates through the updraft, appearing before everyone in an instant. As the updrafts die down, the silhouette's figure is revealed, a woman with lengthened, scarlet hair and alluring blue eyes, one who seems to permeate an aura of intrinsic beauty as the slowing updrafts gently lift her curled hair upwards before settling down. In the silence, Kochi walks towards Chigetsu, a confident strut emerging from her impeccable posture, until stopping in front of her. "I am the leader you have been waiting for, Chigetsu Hōzuki. A woman whose reputation as a gifted warrior turned outcast precedes her. There's a great conflict in your soul, and I wish to tend to it. You are home, and this shall be your new family. Of whom amongst us all share a common vision, so shall you, too, share this vision. But that shall wait, for now I shall help you come to terms with who you truly are. I will guide you through your troubled times and help you emerge renewed." The woman, whose name being beared as Kochi Uzumaki, speaks up, her eyes dead set upon the bright haired woman. A sense of intimidation can be felt within Kochi's presence, but even bigger is the sincerity in the words Kochi speaks towards her, which seems to overpower the intimidating presence Kochi bears before her. Well, she would definitely earn points for that entrance. Chigetsu measured each aspect of the one she had been waiting for exhaustively. Yes, in her mind there was no denying it; this woman was their leader. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck and face as Chi was exposed to Kochi's presence before it died down. The simmering cold didn't matter when there was an indubitable edge to the leader's aura. Her voice came out surprisingly calm. "Well, you've definitely earned brownie points with that emphatic entrance. I appreciate the clarity though, wouldn't want anyone mistaking you for second-in-command or something. It's rare to see a woman in charge." Chi blinked in surprise as Kochi spoke. "What do you mean conflict in my soul? I'm perfectly fine miss. No need to speak in tongues or sound like an enlightened tool," she commented. Once again she ignored the persistent pull at the back of her mind. Despite all of the self-loathing and reservations, it appeared the meal Chi had enjoyed earlier also reinvigorated her despair filled half. Not that she planned on relinquishing control any time soon. Despite the warm words of welcome, Chigetsu could tell that this woman was dangerous. One wrong step or a hint of betrayal and you would be no more. Treading carefully meant that innocent damsel could not be allowed out. She was too vulnerable, too trusting. That girl latched onto anyone who could promise her love and acceptance. "Hmph." Kochi understands the feeling of keeping parts of one's soul locked away, she did just the same when she led her criminal empire nearly two hundred years ago. She feared any sense of emotions would lead to weakness. That one smile could betray everything she worked so hard to accomplish. So she bottled them away, the one part of her soul that would have kept her alive. When she lost everything, that part of her soul wasn't there to save her from the isolating anguish she felt being sentenced to solitary confinement in a village no one knew existed even at that time. It killed her, figuratively, and literally. "You don't have to hide it from us, Chigetsu. You're free to show both parts of your soul to us. The longer you try to keep that portion of your soul bottled away, it will one day die. And then you'll be all alone. You won't know what to do after that, the only thing that was keeping you from pushing yourself into the ground one last time is gone. I should know; I've been there. The isolation I experienced was agonizing. And it led to my death. I wouldn't want to wish the same to you, for it's an unbearable experience, feeling your sense of reason fade away." She breaks the silence once more before she begins to walk away. "Just keep my proposition in mind, and when you're ready, feel free to speak to me again." While he stood next to Chigetsu, Yawako saw no need to interact further with the woman or the new arrival, Maeko, for that matter. He accomplished the task Kochi had requested from him personally. Whether that was a successful method the teen disregarded, since his result was positive. However, as much as Yawako preferred remaining silent, this wasn't the usual case for him allowing a stranger to talk that way to him. Perhaps Chigetsu was an exception, a special case, keeping in mind their encounter. One could think as such, but they would be terribly wrong. Yawako threatened the woman about weakness, much so she felt his intention for spilling her blood. After all, compared to her, he had buried all his weaknesses behind barriers of illusions, creating a perceived misconception about him. Towards others, Yawako appeared vigorous and tough, yet keeping his imperceptible presence. There was only one person that likely knew about him, and that wasn't Kochi. She knew about his chakra situation: almost all of it absorbed by one of his inherited katanas. These special missions shouldn't have been that taxing for him, and yet they were. Speaking of Kochi, his mentor managed to draw his attention and listened carefully to her words. She had his respect, after all. Knowing that she wanted him to follow after her, Yawako began as such, only for him to stand still for a moment next to Maeko. His way to announce he was still amongst them. He neutrally glances at Maeko with a slight nod towards the recruit. "I will leave her under your care, Maeko-san. See to it that she can freshen herself up with a set of new clothes." His eyes had narrowed down on the blood splotches, before returning to his comrade. "She can roam around the base... under your watch." With that said, he dismisses himself from their companionship and followed after his mentor. Peer Review In response to his teammate's request, Maeko nodded and then looked at the new member of the group. "She really needs some new clothes. Where to find those is the real question. I should have some spares in my room." he thought. "Follow me." he said as he walked down the hallway with the pace of a turtle. Daichi Kōjō was walking down the very same hallway. He wiped away the blood from his lips and surrounding area, having just some of his favourite . That was when he noticed Maeko and some woman. Maeko had never been one of Daichi's favourite people amongst their organization, but he did approve of the man occasionally bringing him food. He stopped the pair in their path and turned to Maeko. "Is she my next meal?" he asked, gesturing towards Chigetsu. "I'm flattered, but I just ate a few others so I'm full." Chigetsu harrumphed. "My current clothes are fine. Nothing a good wash couldn't cure," the woman retorted. Yet she followed Maeko down the hallway, visibly irritated by his lethargic pace. "Any faster and you might sprain something." Her glare would be leveled at the newest male the moment he stepped in their way; Chi's eyes simmered with fury. "You wish meat-breath; as if I'd let myself be eaten by someone as ugly as you." Her mouth parted slightly in warning, revealing gleaming fangs and rows of deathly sharp teeth. Daichi chuckled. "It's not like you're any better." he retorted, pulling out a human finger from the sleeves of his yukata. He took a bite out of it, wiping the blood spawned by the motion on the back of his hand. "I presume you're the new one, the one they were talking about?" he asked Chigetsu before finishing off the finger. He then did something similar to what Chigetsu had done to him, and flashed his teeth at her, reminiscent of the that had become his alias to the world itself. "Rude. I'm simply delectable. But I'm saving myself for something good," she responded, her grin widening in response. Her gaze flicked to the human finger fished from his sleeve, before noting the blood squirting out. "Hmm...O negative...that's my favorite type you know. It's so much richer than the others," Chi added, "but yes, I'm the new kid on the block. Let's have fun ok?" Daichi smiled. "You might grow on me. Like a fungus." he joked, offering her another finger. "From the same person. If you're into drinking blood, suck it up and give the shell of the finger if you don't mind." he said, running a hand through his hair. "Fun? Such as what? Emptying a town of all living beings? Talking to you about this stuff gives me an appetite for more...humans." She accepted, sucking the item bone-dry in milliseconds. She tossed it back to him. "Thanks. I mean, that's always a place to start. When people are hungry they must eat. It's just the way the world works you know," Chi commented, her grin lessening as she contemplated something. Part of her could feel the shifting half inside of her, poking for weaknesses, trying to break through. "No no no. This isn't your time," she chided. He consumed the finger within seconds, turning to Chigetsu. He sensed the other form of energy dwelling within her, trying to break out. He decided it wasn't any of his business. He turned to her and pulled out another finger, tossing it over to her. "So how well can you fight? You must have some semblance of skill if the boss wanted you in the group." he asked, staring into her eyes. His eyes flickered from the crimson red to a vibrant blue before settling on the regular crimson red. "Would you show me your power?" She caught this one before draining it dry as well, causing the agitated half to quiet down once more. Melancholy stole through her as the half's sadness. "Jeez, stop being a crybaby," Chi commented before tossing back the empty finger. "I would but we'd need to go outside. Would be a terrible shame if I destroyed the base before saying yes." "I'm still sure a good wash couldn't make your fragrance any more pleasant than it is." Maeko snarked as he frowned beneath his mask. "Just how difficult is it to get a grown woman to take a bath?" he muttered to himself in a frustrated tone. "You need a shower with a sour attitude like that," the woman retorted, finding Maeko's frustration amusing. He was clearly vexed about the simplest thing, though she didn't understand why he was so set on making her shower. Sure teenma had said something about showering but his word shouldn't really mean anything in this group. At least Chigetsu didn't think so if age was a factor. "Meh." This conversation will definitely become endless if I retort. Well as endless as you can make a verbal battle . "Take as much time as you wish, then. I'll wait. Tell "Inner You" i said hello." responded Maeko as he vanished with the breeze. "Hmph." was her response as the man disappeared, whisking himself to whatever place a moody soul like himself would go. "So...are we doing this demonstration or what? I don't have all day you know." Chigetsu made to move before thinking better of it. She didn't know this building. With her luck she would end up lost. "Which way is outside?" Shattered Mirrors As Kochi leads Yawako to another room, one decently distanced from the main room where the recruitment processes are held. Once she feels the hustle and bustle of the main room escapes into silence, Kochi looks towards Yawako. "She's very troubled. I can feel it deep within her soul. Two halves of a coin vying for control, and her sadistic half is winning the duel. If both sides are unable to coincide peacefully, she'll end up killing herself. She puts up a wall trying to hide it, but her wall is clear as glass. I can see the torture going on within her." Kochi speaks up, breaking the silence that drowns the air around them. While his mentor spoke with meaningful words, Yawako casually leans against the side of a chair. Allowing him to refrain from putting weight on the balm of his feets. After all, he is still exhausted from today's activities... and far from being done. His silence didn't necessarily mean he was ignoring her, but rather processing her words in his own way. "I suppose," Yawako finally begins, crossing his arms together and closing his eyes as he continues. "I met both. Her fragile, weak person and this more... demonic one.'' And with demonic, the teen meant her yōkai-like appearance. Opening his eyes, Yawako revealed his natural eyes that begin to shift into three connected spirals with a medium-sized iris in the middle. It feels way more refreshing this way, instead of hiding them from unwanted eyes. "I won't lie. I had the intention to fulfil her desire and show her mercy." His words were conflicting with one another, furthered with a blank tone that he speaks with. "I would much rather save her than have her throw away her life. She doesn't know it, because of how the world has treated her, but she has a future. A bright future, that I want to keep safe." Kochi replies, the stillness of the air being lifted. A determination in Kochi's spirit demands that proper respect be given to those who are fighting a constant battle, wanting to feel what it's like to be appreciated for their efforts, no matter what they may happen to be. And Kochi wants Chigetsu to know that her efforts of keeping both sides aligned with one another will be a greatly appreciated task.